No change in Ireland manager plan but O'Shea expecting a 'few things will happen' after interim spell

A new permanent manager will be unveiled early next month, according to the FAI.

HOLDING PATTERN: Interim Head Coach John O'Shea. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

John O’Shea hopes a “few things will happen” after his interim spell as Ireland manager concludes against Switzerland on Tuesday.

According to the FAI’s director of football, the name of a different boss to O’Shea will be furnished in early April – armed with a four-year contract up to Euro 2028.

The candidature of O’Shea to fill the vacancy will only skyrocket – from a public perception anyway – if he follows up Saturday’s stalemate against Belgium with another draw or win over the Swiss, currently ranked the ninth best in Europe.

“My remit was to focus on these two games,” the five-times Premier League winner with Manchester United said.

“If my remit beforehand was, 'John you're the full-time new manager', it might have been a different situation. The focus for me was, 'these two games John, look after these games and see what happens then.'

“I am focused on getting the best from the boys, and bring this group together with the staff - getting the lads to know my staff as quickly as possible and getting the bond together quickly going into two games where you know you'll face challenges but two games where you know you can get good results too.

"After this, hopefully there will be a few things happening.

“I will be going back for Easter holidays with my kids, so we'll do something with them, and then get back into the swing of things, hopefully go to watch games and have a few conversations here and there."

His namesake Dara, flanking the boss, echoed the words of previous players addressing the media by lauding the continuity that O’Shea has brought since stepping into the breach created by the exit of his former boss Stephen Kenny.

"This week he has been very clear about how he wanted to play,” said the Burnley defender.

“He wanted us to be compact, not let Belgium play through us and have that aggressive side, want to go and press up higher in the pitch and be comfortable in those higher positions.

"It has worked well all week in training and I think we saw that in the game Saturday against Belgium.

“There were some key moments when we pressed them up high and saw things we wanted to do and keep on doing.

"It was quite easy for us at the back with the responsibility we were given to step in and to always be comfortable, having an extra body but going in up high and win the ball."

O'Shea reported no injuries, with the likes of Jake O'Brien and Joe Hodge in lines to make debuts.